Adult Education

Adult Education & GED (RIDE)

The Rhode Island Department of Education supports Adult Education, GED, Workforce Training and English for Speakers of Other Languages for RI adults seeking to gain skills and credentials for employment citizenship, and family and community leadership. Find a list of current Adult Education Providers and information about taking and administering the GED.

Rhode Island Family Literacy Initiative

The Rhode Island Family Literacy Initiative is an adult education provider working to equip adult immigrants with the literacy skills necessary for upward mobility, engaged citizenship, strong families and lifelong learning. RIFLI operates out of the Providence Place Library, offering ESOL and citizenship classes and services at a variety of libraries and other locations throughout the state.

Dorcas International Institute

Dorcas International Institute is the largest provider of adult education in RI, providing ESOL, basic literacy and citizenship classes, GED services, and workforce readiness training in addition to refugee resettlement and legal advice for immigrants. OLIS partners with Dorcas International to connect them with libraries in order to create a more welcoming environment for immigrants in our state's libraries.

Mango Languages

Mango Languages, available with a library card through AskRI, offers English as a Second Language courses for non-English speakers of over 20 languages. Mango teaches languages by using real-life situations and integrates actual conversations into the lesson.

ALA Resources for ESL

The American Library Association's Library Instruction Roundtable has aggregated resources for teaching and learning English as a Second Language, including links to lesson plans and teaching techniques.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services

Any immigrant-serving organization, including libraries, can register for one free Civics and Citizenship Toolkit to provide basic information to the immigrant community, develop content for classes and to train staff and volunteers.

USCIS also has resources specifically for libraries, including display ideas, website widgets and community outreach, and additional educational products for teaching citizenship.

LINCS Learning Center

The LINCS (Literacy Information and Communication System) Learning Center is a project funded by the US Department of Education and offers free resources for adult learners looking to learn English, improve reading and math, and explore jobs and new careers. LINCS also offers other curated digital literacy resources for students, trainers, and organizations. 

Learning Express

Learning Express is an online resource through AskRI that hosts practice tests, exercises, skill-building courses, eBooks, and other information to enhance school, work or life proficiencies. Includes Adult Learning and Career centers, plus a High School Equivalency Center with GED prep in both English and Spanish.

GCF Learn Free

GCF Learn Free offers free modules for self-guided learning; while it most well-known for digital literacy topics, GCF Learn free also offers "Everyday Life" tracks that include workplace skills, reading and math.

Khan Academy

Khan Academy is a non-profit educational organization with a set of online tools that can educate students from early childhood through adulthood. Topics are broken down by age level, and range from basic reading and math to computer science and personal finance.

Peer 2 Peer University: Learning Circles

Peer 2 Peer University is a non-profit organization that facilitates learning through a model called learning circles which blends online and face to face peer learning, facilitated by a teacher or librarian. P2PU trains librarians to facilitate learning, and to develop and curate open educational resources and software. The Learning Circle Toolkit includes resources for becoming a facilitator.